Wheel making machine



2 July 23, 1940. THE 2,208,996

WHEEL MAKING MACHINE Filed March 31, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 z 9.IN VENTOR BY M, 7 I

A ORNEY-Y.

y 23, 1940- A. D. MATHESON WHEEL MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 31, 1939 INVENTOR r IQ IPN m ATTORNEYS.

y 23, 1940- A. DQMATHESON 2,208,996

. WHEEL MAKING MACHINE Filed March 51, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR A TORNEYS.

m a w fw Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES messes PA ENT- orrics 2,208,996 WHEEL MAKING MACHINE,

Alexander D. Mathescn, Davenport, Iowa, assignor toFrench & Hecht, Incorporated, a corporation of Iowa Application March 31, 1939, Serial No. 265,175 H 1 Claim. (01. 78---16) pJzsupported in the machine in concentric relation to one another and heated spokes inserted through aligned openings in the rim and hub and upset endwise simultaneously to head over the end of the spoke, inside: the hub and form a ztshoulder on the spoke to bear against the outer surface of the hub. While the present inven tion is adapted generally to the form of machine shown in the patent referred to, it finds its particular application in the machine as shown and described in a copending U. S. application Ser.

No. 265,204, filed by John H. Ploehn, to which reference maybe had for a detailed understand ing of the entire machine.

In these machines, the hub and rim are supported on a pivotally mounted gooseneck table,

the lower arm of which is adapted to support the hub and rim and the upper arm to carry a clamp for securing the hub in position on the table. The machine is operated pneumatically, its successive operations during each cycle being controlled by valves actuable by a foot treadle. Initially, the table occupies a position with its front end tilted upward for the insertion of a spoke through the openings in the rim and hub, and when the cycle of operation of the machine is inaugurated by a partial depression of the foot treadle, air isexhausted from a table-lifting cylinder, allowing a piston therein to descend and permitting the front end of the table to drop into operative position to lower the hub over a spoke heading tool or; header and locate the portion of the spoke outside the hub between a pair of vise jaws. Further depression of the foot treadle eifects the admission of air into a cylinder to raise .a piston therein for actuating the vise jaws to clamp and hold the spoke against movement during the upsetting operation. After thespoke is clamped between the vise jaws, depression of the foot treadle through the remainder of its down- ;:ward stroke causes the header inside thehub to causing the portion of the spoke between the outside of h the hub and the vise jaws to be upset to form the shoulder, the vise jaws being equipped with dies into which the displaced metal flows and by which it is confined to force it against the outer surface of the hub and mold it to the desired shape. Whenthe upsetting operation is completed, relief of the pressure on the foot treadle permits its return stroke and the machine operates by the exhaust of air from the header and vise jaw actuating cylinders to effect the retraction of the table and header and the open ing of the vise jaws to release the spoke, and by theadmission of air to thetable-lifting cylinder to tilt the front end of the table to its original upper position so that the spoke clears the top edges of the vise jaws.

to the proper position for operation on another spoke. The operation of the machine as just set forth is repeated for each successive spoke.

In the operation of the machine, it is necessary to adjust the front end of the table vertically to different set, positions according to the length of the hub ,to be operated upon or because of various angularities of the hub walls, which frequently are not parallel with the axis of the hub, When, as is sometimes the case, the spoke holes in the hub walls are not uniformly located lengthwise of the hub (vertically when the hub is posi-" tioned on the table), it is necessary to vary the vertical position of the front end of the table for With this arrangement, each time the table had to be adjusted to a different position it was necessary to reach down underneath the table with a hand wrench and adjust the screw connecting the table and table lifting piston, a method which was laborious, crude and slow.

It is the object of the present invention to ob viate these and other objectionable features of the prior art and to provide means for rapidly, accurately and conveniently adjusting the front end of the table to a given set position.

To this end, and in its broader aspects, the present invention contemplates the provision of means for vertically adjusting the front end of the table and means operable to control the operation of the adjusting means and located remote therefrom. More specifically, the invention provides an arrangement wherein the table and its lifting mechanism are adapted to be raised and lowered as a whole by a screw jack on which, the

lifting mechanism is mounted and which is operated by a hand wheel located near the front of The hub clamp is then released to permit the turning of the hub and rim,

shafts by a hand wheel conveniently located at one side of the machine near the front end thereof, whereby rotation of the hand wheel in one direction or the other raises or lowers the table and table lifting mechanism as a whole; and the low pitch of the threads of the screw jack enables such adjustment to'be made easilyand accurately and also serves as a positive lock to maintain the table in the exact position to which it isadjusted.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, showing by the dot and dash lines the tilted position of the wheel supporting table;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, some of the parts being broken away to show the construction;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 4:, looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the table lifting and adjusting mechanisms, partly in section and partly broken away, to show the structure;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view taken approximately on the line 66 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, themachine comprises a base i on which front, rear and intermediate pedestals 2, 3 and 5, respectively, are mounted and which support two horizontal parallel guide bars 5 and 6, which are circular in cross-section, these parts constituting the main frame of the machine. Mounted in the frame are the three fundamental units of the machine, namely, the work supporting table I with its associated hub-clamping ram 8 and lifting cylinder 9, the spoke-clamping vise jaws l and their actuating cylinder I I, and the header [2 and its actuating cylinder 13.

The work supporting table 1 comprises upper and lower arms l4 and I spaced apart vertically at the front and joined together at the rear by bolts I6 passing through flanges H and I8 on the upper and lower arms, respectively, and through spacing members it) and 2t) between the rear ends of the table arms M and I5, the member 20 being adapted to be replaceable by one of different thickness to vary the vertical distance between the upper and lower arms when desired. The front end of the lower arm E5 of the table I is pivotally mounted on studs 2i (one only being shown) at opposite sides of the front end of a slide 22 which is arranged for reciprocation on a plate 23 by which the table unit is pivoted as at 24 to a collar 25 on the rear pedestal 3, the slide 22 having a dovetail connection 26 with the plate 23, as best seen in Fig. 2. A threaded stud 21 is pivotally connected to the rear end "of the slide 22 and adapted to extend upwardly on the stud on opposite sides of the extension 29 for raising and lowering the rear end of the table I relatively to the slide 22 to locate the I in operation the table lifting and adjusting means are relieved of the burden of overcoming the full weight of the table.

The upper arm I of the table l carries the ram 8, for clamping a hub (as shown diagrammatically by the broken lines in Fig. l) on the table, which is mounted for reciprocation in a fixed supporting bracket 32 secured to the forward end of the arm, and an air cylinder 33 mounted on the top edge of the arm. The clamping ram 8 is connected to the air cylinder 33 by a double arm lever 36 (one arm only being shown) pivoted to the upper tablearm H! on a pin 35 intermediate the ram and the air cylinder and extending rearwardly beyond its connection 36 with the air cylinder, the free ends of the lever 34 being adapted to support weights 3'! tocounterbalance the weight of the ram. The ram 8 is actuated by a piston 38 in the cylinder 33 and is under the control of a simple two-way valve 39 operable by the movement of a pull rod 49 extending toward the front of the machine.

Toward the front end of the machine, the air cylinder H is mounted on the base I between depending arms M of the vise jaws ii] (one arm' and one jaw only being shown) which arms are rockably mounted each on one of the parallel horizontal guide bars '5 and 6. The lower end of each of the arms 4! is adjustably connected to a rod 42 of a piston within the cylinder H,

the arrangement being such that when the piston rises in the cylinder, the lower ends of the arms 4| are forced outwardly in opposite directions to close the vise jaws it) on a spoke at and, upon descent of the piston, the arms M are pulled toward one another to open the vise jaws and release the spoke.

The header mechanism comprises a centrally located shaft or header bar 4 1 (Fig. 2) arranged between the guide bars 5 and 6 of the frame and having its front end mounted for reciprocation in a bearing in the front pedestal 2 and its opposite end mounted in a slide-block 45 supported on the guide bars 5 and 6. Intermediate its ends, the header bar 44 is slidably supported in a bearing 46 in a split cross-head 41 of the intermediate pedestal 4, being held against rotation about its own axis by keys 58 arranged in keyways 49 and 5&3 formed therein and in the bearing 46, respectively. The air cylinder l3, located immediately in front of the rear pedestal 3, is equipped with a piston (not shown) having its piston rod 5! connected to a' slide-block 52 mounted for vertical reciprocation in a guideway 53 formed in the front face of the rear pedestal 3, and a connecting link 54 is pivot-ally secured at one end to the slide-block 52 and at its opposide end to the slide-block 45 which supports the rear end of the header bar 44. When the piston rises in the cylinder I3, forcing the slide-block 52 upwardly, the link 54 is moved toward a horizontal position, thus forcing the slide-block 45 forwardly on the parallel guides 5 and 6 and moving the header bar 44 and header i2 with it.

As already stated, during the spoke-upsetting. operation, the table I is moved forwardly half pedestal 3 and connecting the opposite or lower endof each by a link 56 to one side of the slideblock '45 which supports the rear end of the header bar 44, and also pivotally securing one end of each of a pair of adjustable links 51 substantiallyniidway between the ends of the pendant lever arms 55 and connecting the opposite end of the link 51 to the side of the table slide 22. Thus, when the slide-block 45 supporting the rear end of the header bar 44 moves forwardly, it pulls the lever arms 55 through the connecting links 56 attachedthereto, and this movement of the lever arms acts through the links 5! connecting themwith the table slide 22 to move the table I in the same direction as the header bar. However, since the links 51 are connected midway between the ends of the lever arms 55, the movementimparted to the table is only half that of theheader bar. When air is exhausted from the cylinder-i3 and the piston therein descends, the header bar 44 and table I are returned to their normal positions by springs 58 and 59 secured atone end to the slide-block 45 and having their opposite ends anchored to a fixed part of the machine. 39

The table lifting mechanism comprises the ai cylinder 9with the piston 69 therein having its rod 6| connected to the table by vertical side links 52. The piston 69 rests on the cylinder head 63 when in its lower position and the piston rod IiI is screw threaded into a cross-head 64 extending toward opposite sides of the machine and arranged to slide vertically on a pair of guide rods 65 secured at their lower ends in bosses 66 on opposite sides of the cylinder 9 and at their upper ends in a cross-head 61 which carries a stop 69 adapted to be engaged by the end of the piston rod SI for limiting the upward stroke of the piston 89. The lower ends of the links 62 are secured as at I9 to the opposite ends of the cross-head 64 and extend upwardly through bearings II formed in the ends of the pedestal 4 and in which they are adapted to slide vertically but are restrained against movement in any other direction. The upper ends of the links 62 are in the form of T-shaped heads I2, formed each with an elongated slot I3 adapted to accommodate a roller I4 mounted on a stud I5 secured to the table slide "22. With this arrangement, when air is admitted into the cylinder 9, the piston 69 rises therein, carrying with it the cross-head 64 threaded on the piston rod SI and through the connecting links 62 raises the front end of the table I, which rocks about the pivot 24 by which the slide 22 is connected to the collar 25 on the rear pedestal 3. When the table I is in its lower operative position and the slide 22 is reciprocated to move the table I during and after the spoke upsetting operation,

the side links are held in their vertical positions in the bearings 'II and the rollers I4 move back and forth in the slots I3 in the heads of the links 62, thus permitting freedom of movement of the table slide 22 in a truly horizontal path and minimizing wear of the relatively moving parts.

According to the present invention, the table I and its tilting mechanism as a whole are adapted for adjustment vertically by means of a hand wheel 89 conveniently located near the front end of the machine. To this end, instead of beof the'cylinder 9 is mounted on a screw jack 8|, comprising a square-threaded screw sleeve 82 ing mounted directly on thebase I, the head 63 secured to the cylinder head 63 by a stud 84 screwed'into a threaded opening 85 in the cylinder head and secured by a pin 86, the stud 84 beingformedwith a bearing surface 81 for the sleeve 82 and held thereon by a nut 88 threaded n the lower end of the stud. A bevel ring gear 89, having an internally square-threaded hub 99 is threadedonto the sleeve 82 and rests on a bearing 9I between it and a support 92 mounted on the base I of the machine, being heldyagainst vertical movement relatively to the support 92 by a cover plate 93 screwed on the lower end of the ring gear hub 99 and engaging a shoulder 94- on the support 92. Thus, the ring gear 89 acts as a' nut on the threaded sleeve 82 and, being capable of rotary movement only, itsrotation in one direction or the other will effect a relative vertical movement of the sleeve 82 and cause the cylinder 9 and associated parts to be raised or lowered as the case may be.

e The ring gear 89 isadapted to be rotated by the hand wheel 89 through a series of bevel gears and theshafts on whichthey are mounted. Thus,

a bevel gear 95 adapted to mesh with the ring gear 891s mounted on one end of a shaft 96 jcurnalled in a bearing 91 on the base I and having fixed to its opposite end a bevel gear 98 meshing with another bevel gear 99 fixed to the lower end of a shaft I99 extending upwardly at an angle along the side of the machine, the shaft I99 being removably secured near its opposite ends by straps I9I. The upper end of the shaft I99 has a bevel gear I92 fixed to it and arranged to mesh with a bevel gear I93 fixed to one end of a shaft I94 J'ournalled in a bracket I95 secured to the main frame and on the opposite end of which shaft the hand wheel 89 is mounted.

In order to support and guide it in its vertical movement, the cylinder 9 has fastened to its top edge, as by bolts I98 (Fig. a bracket 68 whose base I91, extending beyond the peripheral surface of the cylinder 9, is formed with lateral recesses I98 adapted to receive tongues I99 formed on a guide bracket IIIl secured rigidly by bolts III to the rear face of the intermediate pedestal 4. The cross-head 84 is formed near its opposite ends with lugs II2 having open ended slots II3 adapted to receive tongues II4 formed on the guide bracket I I9 and adapted by their sliding engagement in the slots I I3 to prevent twisting of the cross-head 84. Hence, although free to move vertically, the cylinder 9 and cross-head 64 are restrained rigidly against movement in any other direction.

With the foregoing arrangement, when the hub 28 is placed on the table I and it is required that the front end of the table be adjusted vertically properly to locate the hub and the spoke 43 relatively to the vise jaws I9 and the header I2, the hand wheel 89 is rotated in one direction or the other to raise or, lower the table as required. The rotation of the hand wheel 89, through the intermediate series of bevel gears and shafts on which they are mounted, effects the rotation of the ring gear 89 relatively to the threaded sleeve 82 secured to the cylinder head 63. Since the sleeve 82 is held against rotation and the ring gear 89 is held against vertical movement, the rotation of the latter efiects a relative the arms62, raise the table.

102 ciate'd parts and the table I.

table 1, the sleeve 82 will move upwardly relati'velyto the ring gear 89, causingthe cylinder 9,'piston fifl and the cross-head 64 threaded on the piston rod 6! to move upwardly and, through If, on the other hand, the hand wheel 80 is rotated in a direction to lower the table, the s1eeve-82 will be caused to move downwardly relatively to the ring gear 89 and carry with it the cylinder 9 and asso- The movement of the cylinder 9 up and down is always effected positively by the screw jack and enables its loca tion and, hence; the location of the table accurately in any desired position, and the low pitch l5. of-the threads on the sleeve 82 and the hub 90 of .the ring gear'89, causes them to serve as a positive step to maintain the table in any adjusted position. Because the links 62 which connectrthe cross-head 64 and the table are arranged ZQEtO slide in the bearings H and are thus held in a truly vertical position at all times, the vertical position of the table '1 remains unchanged during the forward movement thereof to form a shoulder on the spoke during the upsetting opera- 251tion.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form and obviously many modifications and variations may be made therein and in its 30 mode of application which will still be comprised within its spirit. For example, the invention is applicable equally as well to machines for making wheel spiders, that is, wheel hubs with spokes fastened therein and to which the rim is secured subsequently. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a pneumaticallyoperated wheelspoke securing machine, the combination of a hub support the front end of which occupies an upper inoperative position and a lower operative position, an air cylinder having a piston therein connected to the support and operable to effect the raising and lowering of the support, a fixed guiding support to which the air cylinder is connected for relative movement vertically, a gear-operated low-pitch screw-jack on which the air cylinder is mounted, a hand wheel for actuating the screw-jack located remote therefrom at the front of the machine for convenient operation, and a series of gear and shaft connections between the screw-jack and the hand wheel, whereby the air cylinder and support are adapted for vertical adjustment as a unit to locate the support accurately in different set operative positions and the screw-jack is adapted to be selfoperative to lock the support in any adjusted position thereof.

ALEXANDER D. MATHESON. 

